Chương 10
Andrea changed direction.
“You remained hidden for months after regaining consciousness.”
“I remained out of public view.”
“You let your husband believe you were dead.”
“Yes.”
“You let his family believe you were dead.”
“Yes.”
“You watched your own memorial service.”
Elena’s throat tightened.
“Yes.”
“You could have contacted Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“But you chose not to.”
“Yes.”
“Because you wanted to build a case against him.”
“Because I was afraid of him.”
Andrea waited.
Daniel moved slightly at the defense table.
Elena heard a chair creak somewhere behind her.
Andrea said, “Had Daniel ever hit you before the fire?”
“No.”
“Threatened to kill you?”
“No.”
“Threatened Sophie?”
“No.”
“Pointed a weapon at you?”
“No.”
“So your fear was based on suspicion.”
Elena looked at Daniel.
This time she allowed herself to.
“No,” she said. “It was based on waking in a burning room after my husband secretly moved our daughter out of it.”
Andrea stopped.
The prosecutor did not smile.
Neither did Elena.
The strongest testimony came from Maya.
She walked to the witness stand wearing a navy dress and the same nervous expression Elena remembered from video calls.
Andrea tried to undermine her with the settlement offer.
“You were offered eighty thousand dollars.”
“Yes.”
“And you wanted more.”
“No.”
“You hired an attorney.”
“My aunt made me.”
“You considered suing the Bennett family.”
“Yes.”
“So you had a financial motive to blame Mr. Bennett.”
Maya looked at her.
“I had a financial motive to take the eighty thousand dollars and shut up.”
A few jurors shifted.
Andrea frowned.
Maya added, “I didn’t.”
Margaret testified on the sixth day.
Daniel did not look at her when she entered.
She wore cream.
Of course she did.
Naomi showed her the text messages.
Maya has her. It’s clear.
Then stop. Come here.
Too late.
“What did you understand ‘it’s clear’ to mean?” Naomi asked.
Margaret’s face looked almost colorless.
“That Sophie was out of the bedroom.”
“And why did that matter?”
Silence.
“Mrs. Bennett?”
“Because Daniel had told me he wanted to frighten Elena.”
Naomi waited.
“Frighten her how?”
“He said there would be a small fire.”
A sound moved through the courtroom.
The judge warned the gallery.
Margaret continued.
“He said the smoke alarms would bring everyone out. He said he wanted her to think the financial records were destroyed.”
Elena closed her eyes.
This was new.
Prosecutors had not told her the full substance of Margaret’s cooperation.
Naomi asked, “Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“What changed?”
“He asked where Sophie would be.”
“When?”
“Earlier that evening.”
“And what did you say?”
“That I assumed she would be with Elena.”
“What did he say?”
Margaret swallowed.
“He said that wasn’t acceptable.”
Daniel stared at the table.
Naomi’s voice remained even.
“What did you do?”
“I told him not to be stupid.”
“Did you call police?”
“No.”
“Did you warn Elena?”
“No.”
“Did you go to the house?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Margaret’s mouth trembled.
“Because I thought my son was dramatic. Angry. I thought he wanted to scare her.”
“You knew he had researched electrical fires.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he had purchased solvent.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he had arranged for the baby to be moved.”
“Yes.”
“But you did nothing.”
Margaret looked at Elena.
“No.”
Elena looked back.
There were moments when forgiveness was impossible.
There were also moments when hatred felt too easy.
Margaret had known enough to act.
She had chosen comfort over interruption.
Then, when the consequences arrived, she spent months protecting the person who caused them.
Whatever she felt now could not alter that.
Daniel testified against his attorneys’ advice.
Elena was not surprised.
He had always believed he could explain himself if people would simply let him speak long enough.
Andrea began gently.
“Did you intend to kill your wife?”
“No.”
“Did you set a fire?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“I caused a small ignition.”
The courtroom went silent.
Andrea looked as if they had discussed different wording.
“Explain.”
Daniel looked toward the jury.
“I wanted to destroy copies of financial records she kept in the bedroom.”
Naomi objected.
The judge allowed him to continue.
“I used solvent on papers in a wastebasket. I thought it would burn quickly. I had water there. I knew Sophie was downstairs. I thought Elena would smell smoke and leave.”
Elena stared at him.
He continued.
“I didn’t understand how fast the curtains would catch.”
Andrea asked, “Why didn’t you extinguish it?”
“I tried.”
“Why did you leave Elena upstairs?”
“I thought she was behind me.”
Elena’s scarred hand closed slowly.
Daniel looked at her.
“I swear.”
Andrea said his name quietly.
He turned back.
“What happened when you reached the first floor?”
“I couldn’t get back upstairs.”
“Did you believe Elena had escaped?”
“At first.”
“Did you want her dead?”
“No.”
“Then why, when she appeared months later in court, did you say she was supposed to die in the fire?”
Daniel’s face changed.
It was the question no lawyer could make disappear.
“I was in shock.”
“What did you mean?”
He looked toward Elena again.
“I meant I believed she had died.”
Andrea waited.
“That isn’t what you said.”
“No.”
“What did you mean?”
Daniel’s voice became smaller.
“I don’t know.”
Naomi approached him on cross-examination.
“You knew your daughter would not be upstairs.”
“Yes.”
“You disconnected the smoke detector.”
“I didn’t want it to alert too early.”
“You canceled an electrical inspection.”
“Yes.”
“You applied solvent to combustible material beside bedroom curtains while your wife was asleep.”
“I didn’t mean for the curtains—”
“That was not my question.”
“Yes.”
“You closed the bedroom door.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Yes.”
“You left.”
“I went downstairs.”
“You did not wake Elena.”
“I thought she would wake.”
“You did not tell her about the fire.”
“No.”
“You did not tell Maya what you had done.”
“No.”
“You did not call 911 until after the fire spread.”
“I panicked.”
“You told your mother, ‘Too late.’”
“Yes.”
May you like
Naomi placed both hands on the lectern.
“Too late for what?”
